Former Rapid City mayor Jim Shaw arrested

Former Rapid City mayor Jim Shaw was arrested Tuesday after he refused to stop when a police officer attempted to pull him over for speeding.

Shaw, 65, is accused of speeding, failing to yield to an emergency vehicle and obstructing police, all misdemeanors, according to the Rapid City Police Department.

A police officer drew his weapon during the arrest, Rapid City Police Chief Steve Allender said Tuesday.

"There are times when the officer has to judge based on the circumstances, based on what the risk level is at any given situation," said Allender, who emphasized that it is not common for officers to draw their weapons during traffic stops.

Shaw, who served eight years as the mayor of Rapid City, did not return calls Tuesday seeking comment.

Abouy 2:45 p.m., an officer who was patrolling on East Mall Drive attempted to pull over Shaw's vehicle, which was traveling 52 miles per hour in a 40-mile-per hour zone, according to a news release.

According to the police department, Shaw continued for several blocks before stopping at a red light at East Mall Drive and La Crosse Street. The officer got out of his vehicle and approached Shaw, who then drove away when the traffic light turned green, police said. Shaw went through the intersection and continued for another block before finally stopping.

After he pulled over, police said Shaw jumped out of his vehicle and refused to follow the officer's commands, which led the officer to pull out his weapon. Shaw continued to ignore the officer's commands and additional officers arrived to assist, according to the news release.

Shaw was taken to Pennington County Jail, where his bond was set at $300, Allender said. He was released Tuesday evening, according to an official at the Pennington County Jail.

Allender said the police department determined in an initial review that the officer followed proper procedure since Shaw's actions escalated a routine traffic stop to a higher-risk stop.

"On initial review, there was enough circumstances for the officer to have taken that precaution," Allender said.

As they typically do in such cases, the police department will review the case in the coming days, Allender said.

Subscribe to Breaking News

* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.

The case has been forwarded to the Pennington County state’s attorney.

Shaw, who now writes a weekly column for the Rapid City Journal's opinion page, served as mayor of Rapid City from 1997 to 2001 and from 2003 to 2007.

Tuesday's incident was not Shaw's first run-in with law enforcement. In 2006, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and paid a $100 fine after an Aug. 11 incident at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.

According to reports at the time, Shaw was there with his daughter when they were separated in a crowd. While he was looking for his daughter, an SUV drove through the crowd in what Shaw believed was a dangerous manner, according to the report. He then reportedly rapped on the rear window of the vehicle and spoke to the driver.

After doing so, he was stopped by an Iowa State Fair patrol officer who handcuffed him and charged him with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Subscribe to Breaking News

* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.